


i don't blame you for being you

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Gen, Platonic Relationships, but only a lil bit, kinda sad, mention of nightmares, third person pov but josh's thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 07:30:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11962647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: on the last night of tour, josh finds that he can't sleep. tyler helps, like he always does.





	i don't blame you for being you

His tears threaten to spill over the edge and he forces them back with a sniff and a smile and when he goes out on stage nobody notices that anything is wrong. He is quiet and keeps himself to himself, as he does in every concert, and he feels fire thrum in his veins as he pours his heart and soul into this concert, like it may be his last one (which he thinks it might be). 

They end with a flourish like usual, and Tyler smiles and goes to see the fans at the front, thanks them for coming to the very last concert, smiles and waves at the faces he recognises. Josh stays behind his drums. The drums are safety, the drums are the only thing from home, the drums are what he knows best and with the itch in his veins he wishes he could just get out of here.

The fans leave, far slower than usual, and the second the last few people leave Josh is off to the tour bus, hiding in his bunk with the itch in his skin steadily getting worse. It hurts. It burns and Josh just wants it to stop. 

“Josh?” Tyler asks, quietly peeking in through the blanket he’s set up as his own safety net. “You okay?”  
Josh nods, poking out from his nest of blankets.  
“You’re crying. Something’s obviously wrong.”  
He blinks. Oh. Josh didn’t cry. He hadn’t cried in years. He had thought he would never cry again after what happened Before.

“It isn’t.” Josh says. “Nothing’s wrong. Nope. Not at all. Don’t worry about me. Everything’s fine.”  
Tyler sighs, leans into Josh. He’s warm. Reassuring. Familiar. “Relax, Josh.” He says. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Just relax, get some sleep. You clearly need it, Josh. Sleep.”

Tyler’s right. 

He is tired, can feel it down to the depths of his bones, in the essence of each of his atoms. But he doesn’t want to sleep. Sleep just brings with it nightmares, and nightmares are the last thing he wants to deal with.

He feels so tired, though, so very, very tired, and all he wants to do is sleep. 

As if sensing his distress, Tyler gently rubs Josh’s shoulders. “It’s okay, Josh. Go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Josh knows Tyler doesn’t lie.

So he falls asleep and, for the first time in months, there is a smile on his face as he sleeps.

**Author's Note:**

> i couldn't sleep and i cried a bit   
> this ain't even that sad


End file.
